


Rapunzel in the Woods

by wintergalaxy



Category: Runaways (TV 2017)
Genre: F/F, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, My First Work in This Fandom, Not fairytale related at all despite the title, Past Tense, Post-Season/Series 01, This is so dumb but here you go
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-16
Updated: 2018-12-16
Packaged: 2019-09-19 14:22:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17003316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wintergalaxy/pseuds/wintergalaxy
Summary: Karolina gets angry, but Nico helps calm her down.





	Rapunzel in the Woods

**Author's Note:**

> So this is just a silly drabble idea I couldn't get out of my head, so I wrote it. Partly because season 2 comes out soon and I'm very excited! Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy it even if it is short.

Karolina stared at herself mournfully in the compact mirror, trying to savor the last few moments she looked like this. 

But even now, she didn’t like what she saw.

A scared, disheveled girl gazed back at her. Her chapped lips were pressed into a dejected frown. Stringy, frizzy blonde hair hung limply on either side of her face. Her eyes were tired, her clothes worn. Dirt was smeared all along her chin, and a sweaty sheen reflected off her pale skin. 

And she was about to look even worse.

Great.

Being an infamous fugitive ruined _everything_.

“Calm down, it’ll grow back,” muttered Gert with a good-natured eyeroll. Karolina watched in horror as the other girl fisted a handful of purple hair and sheared it off with several unceremonious tugs and yanks. What was left behind could only be described as a rat’s nest, all tufts and uneven edges, but Gert seemed very unconcerned by this.

Karolina stood up as though scalded and shook her head violently. “You know what, nope, I’m good.”

“Karolina, we talked about this. It’s so we aren’t recognizable.” Gert’s voice was understanding but stern as she affixed a cap on her head, effectively making the remnants of her hair all but disappear.

Stern and _bossy_. 

Just like the church.

Just like her mother.

When that parallel connected, Karolina’s temper flared. Before she could stop herself, she snapped, “I know that. Stop mothering me!”

Gert looked stricken, and out of the corner of her eye, Karolina saw the others’ heads whip up to stare at them, but she didn’t care. She was tired as hell. She was filthy. She was still coping with the fact that her father was...whatever he was, that her mother betrayed her and all her friends, and that she was a freaking fugitive.

Now she had to cut most of her hair off, and yeah, maybe that seemed silly to be so upset about, but it was how she felt. Doing something so drastic to herself was almost like taking away another part of who she was. Every day, less and less remained of her old life and old self, back when she had her own bed to sleep in and actually wanted to see her mom every day.

Being talked down to as though she was some petulant kid was just the cherry on top.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—” Gert began.

But Karolina didn’t want to hear it. She scoffed derisively and spun on her heel, stalking further into the woods, away from their camp.

“Let me,” she heard Nico say to the others. Her footsteps drew noisily in her direction.

Karolina bristled and sped up her pace. She didn’t want anyone following her right now, even if it was Nico. She just wanted to be alone.

When she found a small depression hidden behind several boulders, she vaulted them with ease and crouched down in the hollow, hoping Nico would just go away until she could calm down.

No such luck.

Nico rounded the corner only a few seconds later and stared down at her, arms folded across her chest.

Karolina ducked her head. She knew she shouldn’t have yelled at Gert like that, but she didn’t have the energy to move from this spot, let alone apologize.

“I’ll say sorry later,” she said weakly.

Nico did something Karolina wasn’t expecting. She shrugged. “Okay.”

“That’s it?” Karolina asked, caught off-guard. She’s expected a bit more bite in the reaction.

“No,” Nico said shortly. “One more thing.”

Karolina’s heart plummeted as Nico sighed and sat next to her in the little hollow. She didn’t want her angry with her. Oh, why had she even yelled in the first place?

Thankfully, Nico only offered her a small smile as she settled in. It was barely a quirk of the lips, but that was just an adorably Nico way of expressing herself rather than a negative emotion. For anyone else, it was akin to grinning wildly.

“They understand,” Nico said, squeezing Karolina’s hand tightly. “It’s been a hard time.”

Gratefully, Karolina turned to look at her. She searched her face.

 _I’m here for you,_ her expression answered, clear as day.

She shifted closer, and their shoulders touched. Karolina felt her stomach growing warm, like it always did when she was around her. She still couldn’t believe they were together sometimes. She couldn’t believe how fast she could cheer her up just by being here.

Sighing contentedly, Karolina relaxed into her side. With all the other craziness in their lives, she was glad at least one good thing came out of this. Them.

“Don’t do that!” Nico said suddenly.

Karolina blinked and stiffened against her. “Do...what?”

“Looking at me like that! The puppy eyes!” Nico whined, groaning as she buried her face in her hands. Karolina relaxed with a small chuckle, relieved it wasn’t about the intimate move. Even though they’d kissed several times, she was still painfully awkward and unsure with Nico, so they hadn’t done anything more.

“They’re too cute,” Nico continued, oblivious to Karolina’s continued internal emotional rollercoaster. “It makes me sick.”

Karolina blushed but couldn’t help smiling like a fool. “Oh, ‘cute’, huh? Well, your emo self is gonna have to deal with a lot of it from now on now that I know that.” She batted her eyelashes melodramatically as Nico peeked out from behind her fingers.

In that moment, as they looked at each other and giggled and everything felt right with the world, Karolina made a decision.

“C’mon,” she said, standing up determinedly. “Let’s go back to camp.”

“Wait.” Nico’s hand, still holding hers, pulled her arm taut from where she was on the ground. 

Karolina glanced down.

“We don’t have to go back...just yet,” Nico ventured slowly, her eyes traveling up Karolina’s figure in a very deliberate, lingering way. She shivered at the sultry darkness in them.

“Oh,” she managed to breathe, softly and happily.

She let Nico pull her back onto the ground. Their lips met in a familiar but still wonderful way, at first gently then with increasing fervor. Her arms wrapped around Nico’s neck, while Nico’s wandered to the small of her back.

Then she remembered something, and even though obviously this was more important, she had to say it.

As Nico started to kiss her neck, she muttered, “Just promise me you’ll cut my hair, not Gert.”

Nico laughed. “Deal.”

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and feedback are always appreciated!


End file.
